Nothing In This World (BEING EDITED)

XLI.

Chapter XLI: Back to the Castle
Warning: Strong language and mentions of sexual situations

Harry had trouble that night sleeping. Visions of Snape lying dead on the cold tiled floor left him in a cold sweat. He knew his mind was just playing games with him, and he knew that Snape wasn't really dead, but as his fiancé laid there in his dreams, never speaking, never to move again one thing came to mind: hed have to spend the rest of his life without the man. In the next dream his Aunt Molly sobbed over Fred's dead body watched by Ron and Hermione, who were wearing crowns, and yet again, Harry found himself walking down a corridor ending in a locked door He awoke abruptly with his scar prickling to find Ron already dressed and talking to him.

". . . better hurry up, Dad's going ballistic, he says we're going to miss the train. . . ."

There was a lot of commotion in the house. From what he heard as he dressed at top speed, Harry gathered that Fred and George had bewitched their trunks to fly downstairs to save the bother of carrying them, with the result that they had hurtled straight into Ginny and knocked her down two flights of stairs into the hall; his Dads were both screaming at the top of their voices.

"- COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS -" Arthur huffed, rolling his eyes at the twins.

Harry shook his head. "You'd think after seven years of being yelled at, they'd catch on that if they don't misbehave, they wouldn't get yelled at."

"They never do," replied Arthur. Harry could sense his frustration.

"- IF YOU DO THAT AGAIN, YOU'RE BOTH NOT GOING TO TAKE EXTRA CLASSES TO START YOUR SHOP. BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF YOUR FATHERS -"

Hermione came hurrying into the room, looking flustered just as Harry was putting on his trainers; Hedwig was swaying on her shoulder, and she was carrying a squirming Crookshanks in her arms.

"Sirius just sent Hedwig back" - the owl fluttered obligingly over and perched on top of her cage - "are you ready yet?"

"Nearly - Ginny, all right?" Harry asked, shoving on his glasses.

"Your Dad patched her up," said Hermione. She watched Harry finish up and just stared at him before saying, "But now your Papa is complaining that we can't leave unless Bill is here. Otherwise, the guard will be one short."

"Guard?" said Harry. "We have to go to King's Cross with a guard?"

"You have to go to King's Cross with a guard," Hermione corrected him.

Harry groaned, rolling his eyes. Now, he'd draw even more attention to himself.

"Why?" asked Harry irritably. "I thought Voldemort was supposed to be lying low, or are you telling me he's going to jump out from behind a dustbin to try and do me in?"

"I don't know, it's just what your Dad says," said Hermione distractedly, looking at her watch. "But if we don't leave soon, we're definitely going to miss the train. . . ."

"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Lucius Weasley-Malfoy bellowed, and Hermione jumped as though scalded and hurried out of the room. Harry seized Hedwig, stuffed her unceremoniously into her cage, and set off downstairs after Hermione, dragging his trunk.

"A guard. Really?" Harry says angrily. "It's fucking bullshit."

Lucius narrowed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Harry, but it'd be stupid of us if you didn't have one. Go wait by the door."